Summer Break Murders: The Aftermath
by debster35
Summary: sequel to Summer Break Murders: detention centers, new homes in a new state, and the struggles of teenage life. Will the survivers make it through life's difficult paths? Or will their life changing experience get in the way?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey sorry it took so long, but here it is the sequel to "Summer Break Murders"! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders- S. E. Hinton does- I only own any characters I make up!**

**Pony's POV**

It's amazing how you can go from one place to another. Just yesterday I was in the hospital saying good bye to my brother Soda, and today I'm sitting in a room at the detention center.

The walls were white with two small windows that just let in enough light. The bed was under the window and it too had white sheets. The small, wooden dresser was able to hold four pairs of pants and five of my old t-shirts.

When we first arrived we were given a tour of the center. It was a nice place, but it wasn't exactly homey. Johnny and I were nervous, we didn't belong in a detention center, but none of the other kids here saw it that way. They saw us as more juvenile delinquents who would be in here for a while, and as soon as we were let out, we'd be right back.

We would have breakfast at eight, lunch at noon, and dinner at five. In between we would attend classes, workshops, and outdoor activities. They also had "team" sports, and Johnny and I had to sign up for one of them. Apparently, it was to boost our self-esteems so we don't break the law every two seconds. We didn't want to cause trouble with the big wigs here, so we didn't argue with the fact that we didn't do anything to be here.

It was my first lunch at the center and I have to admit, the food wasn't that bad. Even though Johnny and I only ate one sandwich each. It was packed inside, so we went out to the disintegrating picnic tables outside.

"I really don't want to do the team sport thing Pony. I can't believe I signed up for football, I'm gunna get killed out there," Johnny said, taking a bite out of his bologna sandwich.

"Aw, come on Johnny, you're not that bad. Your and asset to the team, you're fast and small, so it'll be harder to catch you."

"Hmm, that's a plus," he registered what looked like a smirk, the first sign of happiness I saw from him since the incident.

"Hey, mind if I sit with you guys?" a small, boy with blonde hair was standing behind Johnny. He had a nervous look on his face. I noted the fact that there were three other tables open.

"Sure, the names Ponyboy, what's yours?" I held my hand out for him to shake.

"Eddie, Eddie Mandle, um thanks…for letting me sit with you guys."

"No problem, oh this is my friend, Johnny,"

"Hey," he looked up at Eddie, and then quickly went back to eating his sandwich.

"So, how…how long you guys here for?" Eddie asked taking a sip of his drink. I had no idea; we would get out when the state said so.

"Not sure," Eddie just looked at him for a second, and then he gasped.

"You're the guys who caught that murderer, man you guys are the talk of this place. Everyone wants to know...how'd you do it?" he looked from me to Johnny. Johnny shifted in his seat, and I looked down at my empty plate.

"We better get goin'," I said standing up.

Eddie put his sandwich down and stood up too, "Hey, I'm sorry man…I…I don't want to know. It's just, you know…I mean, oh please don't be mad, I," he sat back down and put his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands.

Johnny looked at him, then at me, "Hey, man it's alright, come on we know you didn't mean any harm by it."

Eddie looked up and grinned, "You sure, sorry man, look I'll never mention it again, scouts honor," he stood up with an innocent look on his face.

"Hey, you going to sports now? Cause if you are we'll walk with you."

"Yea, yea, I signed up for football, never really good at it, but I thought I'd give it a try. What did you two sign up for?"

"Same, we played like backyard football, nothing special or anything," I threw my trash away and all three of us walked to the field.

**Johnny's POV:**

I was terrified.

Not only was I the smallest next to Eddie, but the other kids saw this as a game of rough and tough football instead of esteem building.

Are "coach" was a tall, muscular man, who reminded me of Darry. Just his looks and nothing else, his attitude was enough to make any boy shake in his shoes. He was one of those big tough guys who had a few favorites, and looked at everyone else as small pieces of meat for him to chew on. His name was Tyson, but his favorites called him, "Tyce".

"Alright, listen up, fellas; today we have two new teammates to introduce to you. Why don't you boys give a big hello to Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade." Tyson pointed to me and Pony who were standing away from everyone else.

A few snickers came out of some of the boys when Pony's name was said. We gave a small grin and continued to listen to the whispers of those who heard about our story.

"Okay, quite down, now let's get started. Today we're going to split up into four teams, and in those four teams you're going to learn to trust your team and they are going to trust you, so let's get started."

He rambled off the teams, and my stomach dropped when I found out that Pony wasn't on my team, neither was Eddie. I was always with Pony when we played back home with the guys. The guys, I missed them. I could feel my stomach knot up when I thought about them, so I pushed it out of my mind.

Our two hours were almost up and so far our team was doing good, but we were tied now. My team against Pony's, it was awkward seeing Pony on the other side, but I was proud of myself whenever I took him down. Pony just laughed at me and shoved me back to my side.

Tyson had gone to talk with some other teachers so there was no one monitoring the game. This made me nervous, some of the kids here looked really mean, and it made me wonder what they did to get in here.

"Hey, kid, yo Cade, pay attention will ya!"

"Sorry," I had started daydreaming, but pulled myself back together so I wouldn't get on anyone's bad side.

The play was simple, and I understood it, but the part I hated was the scoring part. It was my job because I was the fastest, but I was beat and not sure if I could pull it off.

The ball was flying towards me and I was running backward to catch it. My hands were stretched out, I wasn't afraid of any tackles because I had four people surrounding me. It was inches from my hand, then that's when it happened. That gut wrenching feeling when I fell backward and the pain that followed was only half of it. The sound of my team yelling and moaning because I missed the easiest play of all was enough to make me feel lower than the ground I was laying on. I kept my eyes closed; my tail bone was hurting like hell.

"Hey, Johnny, you okay," Pony held out his hand and I took it. I stood up wincing, but I tried not to show weakness around the others.

"Yeah, I think I…"

"What is your problem? You didn't have to toss them the game you know. I gave you the easiest play and you blow it, nice going," my one team member came over and was yelling at me.

"Sorry, I tripped over something…"

"You tripped, there's nothing to trip on. You're just a poor excuse for a football player," at that he walked off. He was right though; there was nothing on the ground that I could've tripped on.

"Don't mind him, Johnny, you played well. I bet you would've won, but oh well," Pony just smiled and started walking towards the door.

"Hey, kid, you better watch your step around here. Never know when you might "trip"," I turned around and the one kid who was on my team was watching me, Pony, and Eddie. He was smirking and staring us up and down. He and his friends started laughing at our dumfounded expressions.

That night I could hardly sleep. My back was killing me, but I didn't tell anyone. I visited the infirmary, but all the nurse gave me was Aspirin, which was starting to wear off. I think it was more than a sore back, just like I think it was more than just tripping over my feet. I specifically remember tripping over something, like someone's foot. Great, now we were going to have one more problem to deal with.

I don't think Pony and I could take much more. We were stressed over whether Soda was going to be able to take us in or not. I sat up to stretch out my back and winced at the pain. That's when I heard a knock at the door.

_Who the hell is knocking at my door this late?_

I stood up and unlocked the door, when I opened it I was surprised at who I saw on the other side of the door way.

**Yep, a little cliffy! Well I hope you like it. Should I continue? I think I really like this one, it's going better than my others. **

**Thanks for all the reviews for Summer Break Murders, hope the sequels just as good!**

**Oh and sorry about the football thing, I'm not that well educated with it so if it sounded stupid, sorry!**

**Read and Review please!!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey here's chapter two!! Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the outsiders!! Only the people I make up in this story!**

**Pony's POV:**

"Hey, Johnny can I come in?" I needed someone to talk to, and Johnny was the only one.

"Yea, sure, what's up?" he opened the door so that I could walk in.

"I…I'm sorry to bother you, you weren't sleepin' were you?"

"No, Pone, what's wrong?" I could tell he already knew; his eyes were clouded with grief.

I tried to hold back the tears, I didn't want to lose my reputation as a greaser, but I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. 'Cause the next thing I knew I was holdin' onto Johnny as if I was about to lose him next.

"I…I can't take it Johnny. D-Darry's gone and I might lose S-Soda next. We're the only ones left in the gang and…and," something closed my throat up and I couldn't speak anymore. Johnny just stood there rubbing my back trying to comfort me.

"I know Pone, I miss 'em too," he held on tighter to the back of my shirt.

We stood in the middle of his room for a minute or two more. After we let go we both kinda stood there not knowing what to say next.

I mean what was there to say. People we loved were dead, killed, and they were never coming back.

Darry…Darry was gone, yeah we fought, but that didn't mean anything. Honestly, I think fighting brought us closer together; it may not have seemed like it to Soda, because we were constantly pulling him in with us. The truth of the matter is…he's gone. I would never have the delicious meals he would cook up for us again. What I would miss most though, would be the yelling…yes, the yelling. Without it I probably wouldn't be the smart kid I am today. Without the yelling I wouldn't have the chance to get out of the poor life of a greaser.

When Darry yelled at me he was just showing me how much he loved me, how much he cared.

I looked over at Johnny, I felt bad for him too. The only family he had was shortened to only two. Who knows how long that would last, what with social services and all. He could be taken away from the only real family he had left.

Man, the pain and guilt he must be feeling right now. I mean, it wasn't some stranger who, you know, but his own father. The man a boy is supposed to look up to and go to for advice was the one who really tore his life in two.

I can't even imagine what would happen to him if he got sent off to another family. He'd probably go crazy, or have major homesickness, or worse…

That's why Soda had to win us back. I would work; I would get a job to help Soda, just to have us together.

One thing is for sure though, not one of us are going to be the same after this.

"Whatchya thinkin' about Pone?" Johnny turned away from the window to face me. His face was tear streaked.

"Just about where were gunna go after this. Hoping Soda can win us back. Darry…"

"Oh, hey Pone, I…I'm real sorry. I should've just stayed away and…" I couldn't believe he was saying this.

"No, Johnny, no, it's not your fault, you didn't know this was gunna happened. If ya would've stayed home, I mean who knows what could've happened. You might be…"

I think I went too far. Johnny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. You could tell he was trying not to think about what could have happened if he did stayed away from us. This was a mess, a mess that would take years for us to clean up.

"Sorry," I stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He flinched at my touch and looked over at me.

"No Pone, I'm tired of running away from my problems. I…I wanna talk about it. I want to push it outta my mind and you're the only one I want to talk to about it," he looked at me with a serious look.

He wasn't kidding; Johnny really wanted to talk about it. Right then is when I felt the bond between me and him grow. Of all the people in the world, he wanted to talk to me about it. Honestly, I was scared. What secrets would I find out about him? What am I going to say to him when he's done telling me everything? Am I going to look at him differently afterwards?

"Are you sure you want to talk about it?"

"I've never been more sure about anything, please Pony," he looked at me with his dark, puppy eyes. He took a deep breath and we sat down on the bed.

That night Johnny and I shared everything with each other. If we were going to be fighting to stay together, we both needed to know everything. We agreed that we would tell Soda everything too, as soon as we could.

We both had to stay strong for each other and for Soda's sake.

**Breakfast the next day:**

"What is that?" Johnny picked up something that looked like meat and something green mixed in.

"I have no idea. I'm getting an apple and muffin; I wouldn't even touch that with a thirty foot pole."

We walked to the back table where Eddie was sitting.

"Hey, guys so how'd ya sleep? Man, I need to like ask for a new bed or something. My bed has springs sticking up through it, there might be bed bugs too," we looked at each other before answering.

"Fine…"

"That's good, so ready for meeting today?"

"Meeting?" as far as I knew, the only meetings were meals, classes, and activities.

"You know, the meeting…" he made two quotes in the air with his fingers.

He looked back and forth between me and Johnny. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Ugh…the group discussion where we sit in a circle and spill out our guts to strangers."

We looked at each other and our faces fell. This was going to be interesting.

**The Meeting:**

We actually didn't have to participate in the first one, so we sat in the library, but the next week we had to.

We were the last ones in; the room was fairly quiet except for the kids who knew each other. Most of the kids looked comfortable in the ugly, orange chairs. Then there were those who still looked nervous about sharing personal information to strangers.

"Welcome Pony and Johnny, okay guys let's get started," the speaker was a short, plump woman with a bun on top of her head, her name was Ms. Maple. Her voice was light and sincere, but that didn't make this any easier.

"Well, let's start with Eddie…Eddie do you have anything to share with us?"

Everyone looked over at Eddie, who sat up straight when his name was called, "Well…um…I really miss the ranch back home. Specially Midnight, my horse, she was the only one who I considered 'family or friend'. No one else payed much attention to me; well up until I turned 13; before that they cared. They all thought I was trouble, but I wasn't…"

"Well, there has to be a reason for them thinking you're a troubled child. What did you do that made them think you were bad, if anything?"

Eddie kinda just stared at her with a blank expression. At that he slumped into his chair, and shook his head.

"I don't know." He crossed his arms and looked down at his shoes.

Apparently, we were done listening to Eddie's feelings. Next was me, and I felt the knot in my stomach get tighter.

"Pony…" she waited 'till the snickers went away, "Pony, what about you? Do you have anything to share?" she looked at me with a small smile that made her look so motherly.

"Um…I don't know, I really don't know what to say," honestly I didn't feel like talking.

"Well, tell us about where you grew up?" the past tense made me shiver, Tulsa was going to be my home, and Soda and Johnny were gunna be there too.

"Uh, okay…" I decided to tell them about the soc and greaser thing, that was easy, "We had three different classes, and that's who you were. The upper class people were called 'Socials' or socs for short. Then there's the usual middle class, and finally, what Johnny and I are considered, 'greasers'."

I looked over at Johnny and I saw an odd expression on his face. It was amusement and hate, and his small smirk made me chuckle a little. Considering what happened to greasers it was beyond me why we were laughing.

Everyone looked at us like we were crazy; we probably were, considering we didn't know why we were laughing.

"So, you and Johnny were considered 'greasers'. Were your other friends considered 'greasers'?"

Johnny and I looked at each other; we really didn't want to talk about our friends. Maybe someday, but not now, not in front of all these other people, because we wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Well…" Ms. Maple gave us an inquiring look.

"I really don't…" I started saying how we weren't ready to talk, but I was then interrupted by one of the group members.

"They probably don't want to talk about it because it was the Johnny kid's abusive father who did it all. He doesn't want to admit that it was Johnny's fault," I looked over and saw the kid who tripped Johnny that one day at football. He had a sneer on his face, like he hit the nail right on the head, which he half did. Wait, how did he find out?

"You…you told?" I was brought out of my moment of pure hatred, and turn to see two dark eyes staring at me with confusion.

He whispered that part so no one would hear, "No Johnny, why would I tell anyone?"

"Well then how did he find out? You're the only one I told Pone, and the door was closed, so how?" he said this last statement a little louder and now everyone was watching us. The look he gave me was one of pure disgust.

I would never, ever, do that to a friend, especially Johnny. He stood up and walked around his chair towards the door. He turned around and faced me, with his voice shaking, he stated one thing.

"I thought you were my friend."

With that he turned and left without another word. Then I felt something between us pull and break, our tight bond. I had a feeling that without that bond we weren't going to be together in the end.

**Okay, so I got into the drama a little early, but its part of the plot!! Sorry if Johnny seems a little OOC, I don't really think he would blame Pony, but yea never know!**

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Reviews please and thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so bad at updating! So sorry guys, here's the next chapter! Oh and I'm sorry if Pony and Johnny seem a little OOC, but that's the way the cookie crumbles in this story, (hehe love that saying). Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders- S.E. Hinton does!**

**One Week Later (Pony's POV):**

I felt like I would fall over at any minute. The pain of losing my best and last friend, besides Soda, was tearing me apart. Johnny hadn't even so much as glanced at me since his secret went public. He didn't even sit with me at meal time anymore. Eddie took turns sitting with us at those times; he was my only friend in that place. When Eddie wasn't with me I sat by myself outside, as did Johnny when Eddie was with me.

I sat in my room thinking about the events from that heart crushing day. Why were people so cruel? First this kid who we never met before decides to trip Johnny, almost breaking his tailbone. Then he takes things further, and ruins mine and Johnny's relationship. A few days after the reveal, I went up to this kid, whose name is Rizzo, and confronted him about it…

_Alright, so he hangs out in the pool room after dinner I'll talk to him then. I found this little piece of information out when I asked Eddie._

_I rounded the corner to the pool room and sure enough, there he was, playing pool by himself. He didn't notice that I entered. I waited until he got the last ball in the hole to make myself noticed._

"_Rizzo, I…I wanna talk to you," I could've kicked myself for stuttering, I wanted to sound tuff._

"_I have nothing to say that would interest you," he stated._

"_Yea you do, I want to know why you have something against me and my…the other kid Johnny," I really wasn't sure if I could call Johnny my friend right at that moment._

"_Ha, that's what you want to know? You wanna know why, alright, but then I want to know something from you."_

_Seriously?! He wanted to make a deal in order to answer a question. Jeez, who does he think he is? A mobster?_

"_Okay, but my question first. Why don't you like us and how did you find out about Johnny?"_

_He starred at me for a few seconds, and then a smile stretched across his face, "First of all, you guys aren't the most intimidating kids in here. Secondly, that kid, what is it, Johnny? Well I knew there was something about that kid that screamed different. How did I found out you ask? It's simple kid, and it's called heating vents...they run through the rooms. So, if anyone was up and had nothin' to do, they do what we call, Hawks Ear. The kid's room is right next to mine, and I couldn't sleep," he walked over to the couch in the room and sat down in it after his explanation. He had that calm, cool and collected attitude about him. _

_I shut my mouth after I realized I was gawking at him. This was ridiculous; he hears some juicy gossip and spreads it around._

"_But…why? Why did you tell?"_

"_Why not, everyone knew you were the guys involved in the murders, so why not tell everything? Let me guess, the kids not talkin' to ya because he thinks you told, jeez what a bunch of sap," he started chuckling at what he said. To him this was a joke; to me it was my whole life, "Answer this for me; what was it like to witness your best, excuse me, ex, best friend kill his own father? Better yet to witness them all die?" His lips curled in a sneer, no way was I staying there for another second._

_I turned and left the room, listening to his wild laugh all the way down the hall._

After that I made it a top priority to stay away from him. I tried talking to Johnny to tell him the truth, but he wouldn't listen. He would walk the other way whenever he saw me.

I hoped with all my heart that Johnny would listen to me, just once and we would be friends again. That wasn't happening anytime soon.

**The next day- Another group meeting:**

When I entered the room Johnny and Eddie were already sitting together so I sat on the other side of Eddie, not even glancing at Johnny.

"Hey, Eddie, how's it goin'?"

"Pretty good, you know I think I'm ready to talk about why I'm here, what do you think?"

"Oh…um…" I couldn't answer because Ms. Maple was ready to start.

"Hello, hello everyone, so how are we today? Good, I hope, so let's get started. Now, because of last meetings events, we are going to refrain from calling out, everyone understands, good. So, Pony we left off with you, would you like to continue?"

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, I decided not to talk. Eddie on the other hand shared why he was here.

Apparently, his parents just decided they didn't want him anymore, so they kicked him out of the house. He went from foster home to foster home, then one day he cracked. He was being pestered by one of the other kids staying at the house, and he about had enough of his blabbing mouth, so he beat him up. The kid was put in the hospital and Eddie was put here, he never told us what he did to the kid that put him in the hospital.

Johnny passed too, and the other kids just talked about their interest, and whenever Ms. Maple asked them what they did to be here, they passed it on.

I was beginning to like the meetings, you could tell people about who you are. After three more meetings, I became friends with this one kid named Tommy. We shared the same interest in movies. We hung out together all the time, talking about movies and the actors in them; we were also on the same football team. One football game was turned into a World War III, the enemies: me against Johnny.

We were thirty minutes into the game. I had just made an excellent play, assisted by Tommy. We were pounding them to the ground, and hard. The best part was it started lightly raining. It brought me back to the lot when the whole gang would face plant each other into the ground. With Steve and Soda acting like clowns, Dally letting go of his tough side and showing how much he was grateful for the gang. Two-bit, being Two-bit, cracking jokes at us if we fumbled the ball or tripped over our own two feet. Then, Darry being the big brother and showing off his muscles by picking Soda off the ground and putting him off course. Finally, Johnny and I sticking side by side and staying best friends to the end.

"Ready Pony, we got this, man we're like magicians out here. They don't know what's coming next," Tommy smirked at me and starting jumping up and down, getting ready to strike.

We were playing against Johnny's team and so far, I've been able to keep my distance from him, but this play wasn't looking too promising with that.

We started, the ball was thrown and I was in the zone. Paying attention to who was around Tommy and ready to tackle anyone who tried to get in his way. He completed his "magic trick" and ran for the end zone. That's when I saw someone running his direction, and fast. I picked up the speed, pushed off my back foot and leaped into the air taking down the opponent.

I stood up and held my hand out to help the kid up. I froze when I saw Johnny's dark, brown eyes looking back at me. The first look he gave me since the meeting. He stood up on his own, so I dropped my hand and turned to give Tommy a high five.

Before I could even call out my teammate's name, I was pushed to the ground. I caught myself and spun around. Johnny was standing there fist clenched.

"What the hell was that for!" I stood up and waved my hand at the place where I fell.

Johnny just stood there; his breathing was heavy from running and being tackled. He glared at me with a look in his eyes that I've only ever seen in his father's eyes before.

"Don't touch me Ponyboy…never again," he said the words he repeated over and over again after he killed his father. What was happening to him?

"Well, sorry for doing my part in the team, but if you haven't noticed, this is football Johnny, you're supposed to tackle. Or, are too stupid to notice that?" Oops, I did it now; he'll never forgive me for that. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could control them.

Everyone was watching our argument; they were more interested in our fight than the game. By now the rain was starting to fall harder. Johnny's face turned red and next thing I knew he was running towards me, slamming me to the ground once again.

"Don't…ever…call…me…stupid…again!" between every word came a punch. Punches filled with anger, hate, and confusion. I held my hands out in front of me blocking most of the swings. I forgot for that one second he was supposed to be my friend and I shoved him back and punched him right on the side of his face.

"What the hell is your problem Johnny?!"

He stood up rubbing his jaw, there were tears rolling down his face, not from the punch, I knew he could take that, but from all the emotions he had stored up inside him.

"You Pony, you're the damn problem! You tell everyone my deepest secret then expect me to forgive you afterwards! That's not how it works Pony! You lied to me and you went against our friendship, how do you think that makes me feel, huh?!"

"Don't even start, your just as bad, you wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to tell you the truth! I didn't spread around the secret, Rizzo did, and you better believe me or…or…"

"Or what, what are you going to do Pony? You can't ask Darry to back you up, he's not here, and you can't ask the gang to side with you, because they're gone Pony, they're…ALL…GONE!" his voice grew louder and louder. That last statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I fumed, I didn't care anymore about hurting his feelings, he hurt mine, and what goes around comes around.

"Maybe, you were right Johnny, I should have agreed with you when we were talking that night," he was about to retaliate, but stopped when he didn't understand what I was saying.

"Maybe you should have stayed away from us, listened to your parents for once. It's not like you couldn't have handled a few extra beatings. Then maybe _we_ wouldn't be in this position. Maybe, just maybe, all of our friends wouldn't have been murdered, Soda wouldn't have been put in the hospital, _we_ wouldn't have been sent here, and _we_ wouldn't be fighting! So, do me a favor and when we get out of here, don't ever talk to me or Soda again…_ ever again_!" I took a deep breath in and held it when I realized what I just said.

"Johnny I'm…I didn't…"

He didn't even listen to my apology; he turned around and walked away. That was the last time I made contact with him.

Soda finally gave me the news that he was allowed to take us back, but when I told him what happened, it was just me going home with him in the end.

Johnny was put into foster care; he refused to come out of his room until his foster parents came to get him. When they did he went straight out to their car. I watched from my bedroom window as he greeted them with a fake smile. His foster parents would never be able to help him as the gang was once able to do. He would always be lost, a lost puppy that's been kicked too many time, and is lost in a crowd of strangers.

That night and the next two nights that followed I cried myself to sleep. I messed everything up, I shouldn't have said those things to Johnny, but I had to worry about myself right now. I had a future ahead of me, and I've been able to keep my grades up here, so it'll be easy to get back in the swing of things. Five days after the fight, Soda came to get me.

I ran to pack my stuff when one of the guards told me it was time to go. I said goodbye to Eddie and Tommy, and raced outside to meet my brother.

As soon as my feet hit the pavement I dropped my stuff and ran into Soda's arms, being careful not to hurt his back.

We stood there for what felt like eternity.

Soda was the first to break the silence, "Oh, Pone, I missed you so much, I promise to never let anything bad happen again, promise," he stroked my hair and held me at arm length to examine me, "but first we have to get you something to eat, what do ya say?"

"Sure Soda, I'm starving," he helped me put the stuff into the truck and ran around to get the car started.

I was about to get in when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see Rizzo standing in the doorway.

"Can you wait Soda; I gotta see what this kid wants."

I walked up to him and stopped far enough way so he couldn't touch me.

"Look kid, I…I'm sorry for, um, telling your friend's secret. I didn't realize how much that meant to you guys, and that fight you had, shit, I've never seen two friends turn on each other like that before," he stopped and when I was sure he was done I spoke up.

"Don't think that saying sorry is going to fix everything, but someday I'll accept your apology, but not now," I turned to leave, but before I left I pivoted to say one more thing, "take care Rizzo, don't let me hear your name being mentioned in the news for some crime."

"You know I take it back, you are intimidating, to a point," he gave a smirk and went back inside.

"Who was that," Soda asked.

"A kid…someone who learned an important lesson."

I left it at that and Soda and I set off towards home, not knowing what was going to happen next in our lives.

**Don't worry it's not the end!!! So, what did you think? Read and Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey y'all! Well here's the next chapter to this story…hope you are enjoying it! Oh and as a little heads up I'm updating one of my older stories, _A Whole New World_, yea took me a while to get that going again, so don't forget to check it out!**

**Thanks for the reviews**

**I own nothing! Except for someone Soda talks to on the phone!**

**Soda's POV:**

The way home was quiet, even I couldn't think of anything to say. I was afraid that if I would mention anything about Johnny I would get something thrown at me.

Pony and I had been through a lot these past few months. Losing Johnny was probably the icing on the cake.

When we arrived at the house I had to prepare Pony for something.

"Hey Pone, um, I have to tell you something. No one has been in the house since the incident, so there's still going to be some stuff in there, okay?"

He sat in his seat starring his hands, shaking his head, he got out and starting for the door. When he reached it he stood there waiting, apparently the detectives had locked the door.

I reached the door and unlocked it. We stood starring at the dark doorway, we didn't move a muscle. Pony scared me when he spoke up.

"Oh come on Soda, it's not haunted," he stepped through the doorway and I followed. I closed the door and turned around, only to run into Pony.

"Ah, Pone what…"

I couldn't talk, or barely breathe for that matter. I knew it was bad, but not this bad. The house reeked, one from us not cleaning it and two, well you know. There were stains on the floor and couch, Pony stood motionless not daring to take another step forward. He then closed his eyes and started walking towards the kitchen, feeling his way around. Why he was doing this blinded, I have no idea.

"Pone, what are ya doin'?"

"I don't want to see it Soda, I can't…"

I followed, carefully watching the back of his head, "Why don't you put your stuff in your room. I'll…I'll start cleaning," we were definitely going to throw stuff away; I wasn't going to sit here and clean it.

As I started getting the month's old garbage together I heard Pony scream my name…

"SODA! Soda come here!"

I ran to the back of the house and found him in Darry's old room by the closet. He was sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest.

"Pone… Ponyboy what are you doin'?"

"I…I wanted to get one of Darry's shirts, to…to remember, and I accidently looked at the bed, oh Soda, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he started crying into his knees.

"It's ok, Pony, come here it's not your fault. Shh, just take a deep breath, it'll be okay," I walked over to him and knelt down. I took him into a hug and lead him out of the room.

"Come on, I think we need to get outta here. Let's go to the park,"

He nodded his head and we left. We stayed in the park until the sun started setting. This was going to be hard, harder than I thought. Pony was an emotional wreck, and I was on the verge of giving up and leaving Tulsa for good. Actually…that was a good idea…leaving.

I turned to Pony, who was sitting on the bench to the right of me, "Hey, Pony, I have an idea. Why don't we move?"

He looked at me like I was crazy, "What? Move? Soda, I don't want to move! I grew up here, I can't leave this place, and there are so many memories, I…I can't," he watched the sunset in front of us. I forgot about how much he loved Tulsa. Not the whole soc and greaser thing, but I remember him telling me he liked it for the sunsets, and how he probably couldn't see them anywhere else like he could here, "Plus where would we get the money?"

Oh, I hadn't thought about that. So much for that plan, too bad we didn't have any family members here…

Wait, we didn't have any here, but we did somewhere else, "Pony, what about...Aunt Nancy?"

"Are you serious? Aunt Nancy, Soda, she's um kinda…weird."

"Pone, she's family, and she's not weird, Aunt Nancy is just…different. Plus I don't think either of us can handle staying here another minute. We can leave as soon as we call her; I bet she would love for us to live with her. I mean she's been lonely for some time now, come on Pone, what do ya think?"

"I don't know Soda, I kinda wanted to stay here, incase Johnny, you know ever wanted to come back. Plus you like her because she likes your weird pizza stuff."

"Pone, I really don't think Johnny's comin' back. His foster parents live across the state, not very close to here. Pone, it'll be a nice change, please consider it," he looked angry when I mentioned Johnny not coming back, and I think that's what changed his mind.

"You know what you're probably right; Johnny doesn't want to see me again. Alright Soda, let's go, I wanna live with Aunt Nancy," he turned to me with a genuine smile. I knew this would be a good idea. We could get away from everything. The social battle, the pain, and the tears, were all about to be left behind.

We stayed at the house for another long, hard week. The day after our conversation I had called our Aunt…

_Ring. Ring._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey. Aunt Nancy, it's Sodapop, um I…"_

"_Soda! Oh my goodness, how are you? I haven't seen you since your parent's funeral. Oh dear, it's so good to hear your voice. What brings you to the phone to call me?"_

_Good ol' Aunt Nancy…_

"_Well, did you hear about, Darry and our friends?"_

"_Oh dear, yes, I'm so sorry about it dear it must be hard. Is there anything I can do for you?"_

_She always knew me too well…_

"_Actually yea, um Pony and I are having a really hard time with everything…"_

_This was harder than I thought it was going to be._

"_Aunt Nancy, we need a place to stay, well more like to live. I don't want to be a burden or anything, but we could help. I can get a job, and Pony will be in school, but he is definitely going to college. So…Aunt Nancy?"_

_She was quiet for a while. Great I blew it and Pony is going to be so mad at me. We were packed and everything._

"_That dear, is a very good idea. Of course I would love it if you guys stayed with me. I've been so lonely since Billy died...oh when will you be here?"_

_I knew she would come to…_

"_Um, well we were going to leave at the end of the week. It would take a while to get there, but it won't be too much longer."_

"_Oh that's wonderful dear, and I have plenty of room. The schools here are great and…wait aren't you still in school?"_

"_Um...no I dropped out; I had to help Darry with the bills and stuff."_

"_Oh well that's too bad, well I am so honored that you asked me Soda. I can't wait to see you boys."_

"_Thanks a lot Aunt Nancy; this means a lot to Pony and me."_

"_Anything for you dear, well I'm going to let you go so you can pack."_

"_Alright, talk to you soon, bye."_

"_Bye dear."_

_Click._

So, this is it, this is the end of Tulsa. This is the end of all our memories here. We would be leaving them here and creating new ones in California, where my Aunt Nancy lives. We would be living in a nicer place, a house by the beach. Pony and I were going to slowly get into the swing of things. This was one of my greatest plans yet. I even think Pony was excited, he actually started talking about a college he liked in California, and since we would be living there; there would be an in-state intuition. I was excited, a new life, it's what I always wanted.

**Well there it is I know it's kinda short. I realize this story is kinda all over the place, but that's what I picture when I think of a situation like this happening. I actually can't wait to introduce you to Aunt Nancy; she's going to be so fun to write about! Hehe**

**Any who, you like idea? If so review please!**

**Thanks again for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Heya everyone! Alright it's time for a scene change! Hope you enjoy, read and review please!**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing!**

**Johnny's POV****:**

It's been a week since I left that place, and the cruel people in it. Namely Pony, I kept thinking about if what I did was right. Should I have believed him? Was he really telling the truth, was it Rizzo all along?

Well, whatever the answer was it was too late to go back now. I was living with my new family now and I had a new start on life. I'm now living with the Thomas family; Kenneth, Shirley, and their eight year old daughter Robin.

They're really nice to me, and not that it matters, but they aren't greasers. They're more like a lower class soc I guess you could say. They live in Southern California right on the coast. When we first arrived I had been sleeping, so after they woke me up they took me right into their backyard; which was the beach. It was the most amazing thing in the world. Seeing as I never been away from Tulsa, it was all new to me. Kenneth and Shirley smiled and told me I would love it here. But I'm not sure if I would, without the gang, without Pony, nothing would ever be the same.

I'm sitting in my room now watching the sun set outside, and wondering. Wondering where I would be in a few years. Wondering what Pony was doing. As I watched the sun setting I recited the poem Pony told me one time. That's when I realized Pony meant more to me than anything in the whole world. I was so stupid for thinking he would have the guts to tell anyone my secret. My stomach dropped, I might not ever see him again. I mean he did say to stay away, but would he really do that? I was brought out of thinking when Robin entered the room.

"Hey Johnny, wanna play a board game?" she asked giving me her puppy pout.

"Sure, what game do ya wanna play?"

"Um…monopoly!" she said jumping onto my bed, "that's my favorite."

"Alright, let's go," I said leaving the room. For a second a memory from what feels like ages ago came into my head. Pony and I…sitting on the floor, next to my dead father, Pony comforting me, caring for me. We were close and now we were as distant as the sun was from the Earth, however far that was. I would never forget this summer, and I would never forget what I had.

**Pony's POV****:**

"Are we almost there?"

"Yes Pony, we'll be there in like, I don't know, ten minutes, just calm down," Soda said getting a little agitated. That was the third time I asked him since we entered my Aunt Nancy's town.

"Soda, do you think everything will be back to normal?"

He gave me a sideways glance and sighed, "No, Pony I don't think so. I wish it could but I'm not certain. Aren't you tired, you haven't slept in a while?"

"No…I…I had another dream last time I slept, but it was worse, different…" I trailed off I didn't want to think about it. It had been the same dream since my parents died, but this time it was different, instead of waking up screaming or breaking out in sweat, I felt calm, eerily calm. Like someone was watching over me, I think it was Darry, but I can't be certain.

"Oh, why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked comfortable, and well I wasn't scared…" I told him what had happened. He seemed a little less worried than before, but he had an uncertain look in his eyes.

We had pulled into her driveway, and I started to feel uneasy. What would our Aunt think of us? I know she's family, but what if she thinks were good for nothing hoods? I wasn't even sure if they called people like me and Soda "hoods" in California.

We gathered our stuff, which wasn't much and made our way to the door. Before we even got on her walk way, Aunt Nancy came barging out of her door and with arms opened wide, she gave us the biggest, and longest, hugs I've ever had.

"Oh boys, hello, oh my, don't you both look so, so…handsome. I've missed you so much. Here come inside, I'll get you settled," and with that she showed us her house, and every nook and cranny of it. One part that I guess was cool was Soda and I didn't have to share a room, but we weren't sure how well that would work with my nightmares and all.

That night though, Soda and I slept in the living room until the beds were ready. I was glad to be in a home where I had a comfortable place to sleep and food to eat whenever I wanted it. Aunt Nancy was an elementary school teacher, and a good one at that. She had won the award for "Teacher of the Year", twice. Her husband had been involved in politics and worked directly with the governor. When he died of cancer only three years ago, he left enough money for Aunt Nancy to make her happy.

When she saw the little clothes and belongings we carried she insisted on taking us out to shop the next day, and to show us the local sites. We agreed, but told her we were content with what we had, but she didn't agree. She made us feel at home, but it wasn't enough to make up for what we lost.

"Wake up boys, breakfast is ready!" her voice rang through the house.

We were greeted by pancakes and orange juice, and her famous fruit parfaits.

"Thanks Aunt Nancy, this is really good," Soda said taking a bite of his parfait.

"You are most certainly welcome my dear. So, are we ready for some site seeing today? I was thinking we should head towards the beach, then shopping. What do you say?"

"Sounds good to me, you up for it Pony?"

"Yup, when can we go?" I was eager to see the beach and the other sites of Dana Point, California.

We left the house and started towards the beach. Aunt Nancy parked the car a few streets away from the coast so we had to walk a good mile to get there. Soda was fairly hyper and I have to admit so was I. She showed us around and Soda and I both agreed that are favorite spot was the Salt Creek Beach, we both were eager to learn how to surf, and the girls, man were they different from the girls back in Tulsa. They wore shorter dresses, shorts, and really short skirts, with boots and bright colored shirts. Some even walked around in their bathing suits because they were at the beach.

"She's lookin' at you Pony, no lie," Soda said. He kept taunting me about this one girl sitting a few tables away from us while we ate lunch. She was one of the girls wearing the short shorts with tights. With a blue button up shirt and a yellow scarf made her blonde hair stand out even more.

"Not uh Soda, she's obviously looking at you, you're the one with the looks," he gave me a slight shove.

"Pony, why do you say that; you're just as good lookin'."

"Oh shut up, you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Yea you're right, but seriously you should consider…" I never got to hear what I should consider because right then is when I felt someone tugging on my jacket sleeve.

"'Scuse me sir, but I was wondering' if you could help me?"

I turned around to see a young girl with board straight, brown hair starring back at me.

"Um…what?" I wanted to make sure I heard right.

"I'm lost and I can't find my mommy," she shuffled her feet and bowed her head as she repeated herself.

"Sure hun, what's your mom's name?" Soda took things into his own hands. I was glad, I didn't know what to do.

"My mom's name is Shirley, and I'm Robin," she said quietly.

"Okay, what does she look like Robin?"

"She was wearing a brown dress and white boots…" she trailed off trying to think of how else she could describe her.

"Well, that should be enough to find her, let's go," I followed Soda, taking one last look at the girl with blonde hair. She looked right at me and smiled. Soda was right, but I followed him seeing as a missing girl was more important than a good lookin' one.

We walked up the beach hoping to find the girl's mother. She was telling Soda a story about how she and her brother played some sort of adventure game at home.

"…after we find the treasure we take it in and we each eat two cookies for…mommy!" the girl let go of Soda's hand and ran to a women who was talking to a lifeguard.

"Robin, oh dear don't ever scare me like that again. Thank goodness you're safe," she picked the girl up and held on tight. Then she looked our way, "Who are you boys?"

"Um, my name's Sodapop ma'am, and this is my brother Ponyboy. Your daughter came up to us and asked for help," Soda said taking a step forward. She looked skeptical about the names but shrugged it off and thanked us.

"Well, thank you boys, thank you so much. Come on honey let's go, Johnny's waiting for us," she took Robin's hand in hers and walked off.

"Well, that was, um, interesting. That's the first time I've ever done that. Come on let's not make Aunt Nancy worried, hey maybe that girl is still there, you can tell her about your concern for little, lost kids everywhere," he chuckled.

"Ha ha, very funny Soda, come let's go."

The rest of the day we walked around and bought some new clothes. The girl had left when we got back, but she made sure to leave a number for us before leaving. Soda didn't let that one down because it was left in one of my bags.

"You gunna call it?"

"No, it's probably a fake," I sounded sure of myself, why would she give a total stranger her number? Plus I had something else on my mind, Robin's brother. His name was Johnny, it was probably a coincidence, but you never know… I kept doubting myself more and more after I thought about what Robin said about her adventure game. I'm not sure if Johnny would be willing to do that, but he might have changed. Johnny was a popular name, but I was secretly hoping it was him…

I'm not going to think about that now though. We left Tulsa to forget, and if Johnny came back he came back. I was willing to except if he didn't want to see me again.

**Johnny's POV****:**

Tonight we were eating lobster. I've never had the stuff, but apparently it was good. I watched Shirley make it; I couldn't stay away from the smell. It was buttery and spicy, one of the greatest smells that has ever past under my nose.

"So, I heard about your little adventure, Robin," Kenneth took a bite out of his lobster and gave Robin a smile.

"Yea, mommy and Johnny were there one minute and the next they were gone. So I went up to these two boys who looked really nice. They were eating lunch, and the one I asked was really cute. The other one looked like he belonged in a movie," she paused to take a drink of her soda. That's when I thought about the event for the first time. Two boys, one was movie star handsome and the other just as good looking…

"Then I told the movie star about our game Johnny, the adventure one, and then that's when I found mommy."

"Yes and the boys were very kind, and their names I will never forget," she looked at the ceiling like she was thinking, "the one Robin refers to as the movie star, I think his name was Soda…Sodapop; and who I would take to be his brother was, um Ponyboy. Now whether they were made up names or not…"

I almost gagged on my food.

"Johnny, are you okay?"

I swallowed my lobster and asked, "Did you say Ponyboy and Sodapop?"

"Yes, interesting names, but you never know who you're gunna run into," she said.

I sat there thinking, could it really be? I didn't know anyone else by the same names.

"What are you thinking about Johnny?" Kenneth asked me.

"I think…I think the two boys who found Robin used to be my friends," I set my fork down, I had lost my appetite.

"Oh, isn't it a small world, well maybe you'll see them again," Kenneth said with a smile.

"Maybe…"

**Well that's the end of chappy 5!! Hoped you enjoyed! Oh and the whole California locations, well I'm sorry if they aren't correct or anything I did my best to look it up.**

**Read and review please!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! WoW finally updating this story! Had some time on my hands…which has been very rare for me. Hope this goes where you guys like!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the Outsiders…S.E. Hinton does! **

**Pony's POV:**

I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. The clock to my right read 6:30. In about an hour I was going to have to get up, and face the hell of being the new kid at a new school. Soda told me to be positive. Easy for him to say; he'll have all the girls in two seconds hanging all over him.

I decided that gaping at the ceiling wasn't going to calm my nerves. I rolled out of bed and tip toed across the floor to the cracked open door. Walking down the stairs, I could hear Aunt Nancy snoring very lightly. The sun was just rising as I opened the sliding glass door that lead to the back deck. I breathed in the cool, ocean air and leaned against the banister. I watched the waves roll in and out, what a calming effect it had on me.

The sun rising reminded me of another time, another place, another world. I could picture the house in Tulsa, the rusty gate that surrounded the old home, the barking dogs off in the distance, and the sound of kids yelling profanities down the street. I could feel the humid air that filled my lungs as I sat in the park. The smell of homemade cooking filled the house, and Darry's voice could be heard announcing a meal was ready. His black shirt threatened to rip whenever he went to give me a bear hug. I was always jealous of those muscles of his, and the leadership he had.

My eyes started stinging with tears. I couldn't hold them back, so I let them roll down my cheeks. Darry was mine and Soda's safety, our parent, and our brother. He's gone; I'm not sure if I can handle it. I've been holding it back for months now, but the sight of his room… I shook my head of the thought. I had school today, and I needed my head to be clear. My shoulders slumped as I realized I didn't have anyone to help me or anyone who needed helped as I walked through the halls of California High. Soda is a junior, I'm a freshman, and I don't have my best friend to walk with. Man, I can't even think his name.

"Pony honey, what are you doing out here?"

I jumped as I heard my Aunt Nancy call my name. I didn't even hear her open the screen door.

"Uh, just getting some fresh air; I'm kind of nervous…" I gave one last glance at the sunrise, and then turned towards Aunt Nancy. She was wearing her blue nightgown, her hair in curlers. I tried not to laugh, but she saw the look on my face.

"I'm sure you are dear. Being new can be very scary," she replied. She grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "And don't tell anyone I curl my hair, I want them to think it's natural."

She walked in the house with a wink, as I followed after her chuckling. She really knew how to cheer me up.

After I was dressed, I waited for Soda out in the car. It took me twenty minutes to get him up, but I got what I deserved as soon as his eyes opened. Let's just say his knuckle sandwiches aren't the best things for your hair when you're trying to look good.

He climbed into the truck, and we were off. My stomach did flips and turns with every turn around the corner. I knew what the school looked like; we had been given a tour yesterday. It was big, much larger than my old school. It reminded me of a college campus. Our team mascot, the Sharks, was plastered all over the school. I wondered if they had a track team; that's the place I would fit in best.

We pulled up to the school and I felt my legs turn into jelly. It looked very daunting when there were kids milling around and cars in the parking lot. Soda gave me a shove on the shoulder, "Hey buddy," he used dad's nickname, "You'll be fine, promise. I won't let anyone stuff ya in a locker or give ya a swirly."

"Soda!" I said, giving him a shove back. He jumped out of the truck laughing and I had no other choice but to get out too.

"No, but seriously, anyone gives you a hard time, talk to me," he commanded, pointing a finger at me.

"Yes sir," I said sarcastically.

Soda grabbed my backpack and spun me around. It was time to face our new school, together as brothers.

**Johnny's POV:**

"Are you ready for a new day at school?" Shirley asked me as I ate my breakfast.

"Yea, I think. Nervous, but I think I'll do okay." I replied with a smile. Deep inside, I was horrified. I didn't know anyone at the new school, and my legs and fingers wouldn't stop shaking. My whole life I knew someone at school, and that's how I got through. I was alone now; I was going to have to face it sooner or later.

I had to take the bus to school. There was only one car in the family and Kenneth had to leave before me to get to work. As soon as I walked on the bus, heads turned. No one gave me a look of disgust like I would get in Tulsa. No one sneered or laughed. Everyone just stared. I was the new kid, and they were just checking me out. I found an empty seat and took it. But I wasn't alone for long. Before I knew it the bus was filling up fast and my seat was about to be occupied by another person.

A boy, around my age, sat down next to me. He gave me a side glance and then smiled and looked away. I smiled back, but I'm not sure if he saw it.

He turned again to face me, "Hey, I'm Charles, you new to Crestmont High?"

I finally got a good look at Charles. He was one of those good looking guys who could probably get any girl he wanted. Most definitely a jock, football or baseball I'd guess. He seemed nice.

"Yea, I'm Johnny. Moved here from Tulsa, Oklahoma," I answered. Charles smiled and nodded his head, "Cool man. So you got any new friends yet?"

I was taken aback by his question, "umm, no." That's all I could say, "No". Man I'm stupid.

"Don't sweat it, I got ya covered," he stated, and that was that.

I made a new friend in five minutes. Maybe this was easier than I thought.

The bus pulled up to the school and the students started pouring out. Charles grabbed my shoulder once we got off the bus, walked me towards the doors to the massive high school, and welcomed me to Crestmont High.

"Alright man, I gotta know. Do you play any sports? You got a girlfriend? Do you do drugs?"

I stared at him as he asked the questions. Was he serious? I guess he was, because he looked at me waiting for an answer.

"Uh, no, no and…no; why?"

"Man, it's the questions to ask! I'll find you a sport you'll enjoy. Don't like any, I'll find ya a club. Girlfriends, easy, I have plenty of friends who are girls. You're probably thinking I get around aren't you?" I shook my head no, "Well, I'm not, truthfully I've never had one, yet, I'm still lookin'. As for the drugs, good, stay away, don't be a hippie man, it'll mess with ya."

I tried taking all this in. If I wanted to fit in I had to listen to this guy. He was my only guide in this crazy world called high school.

"You don't talk much, do ya?"

I shook my head, but then quickly added words to try and break my habit of being quiet, "No, I've always been quiet."

"I'll help ya there too man! So, what's your first period class?"

I pulled out my schedule, "Science, what about you?"

"Science too, but uh, I think we're in different levels. I'm honors, I'll be glad to tutor you though if you need it."

I couldn't believe this. Not only did this guy flat out offer to be my friend, he offered to tutor me too, "Sure, why not, you're helping me with everything else."

"Like I said, I got you covered. Johnny, you and I will be good friends, and masters of Crestmont High!"

Masters of Crestmont High? Good friends? Man, was I getting good luck or what. I wondered if my ex-best friend was having as much luck too. I almost forgot about him. I just kept thinking of one thing as Charles took me to my first class. It wasn't Pony, it wasn't Tulsa, and it wasn't nerves.

Everyone in school called me "grease". My parents called me "dirt" or "good for nothing". My friends were the only ones who called me by my real name, or by the nickname Johnnycake. Charles had remembered my real name. He didn't even have to ask me again. He remembered; that's all it took for me to feel like I really belonged.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, I am on a roll! I realize these chapters are a bit slow, but they'll pick up soon, and I hope you're all excited to see what I have in store for Pony, Soda and Johnny!!!!!**

**Thanks for reading!!! R and R Please!!!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the Outsiders…S.E. Hinton does!**

**Pony's POV:**

As soon as Soda and I had started walking towards the school, heads were turning. I could feel myself blush, but Soda was in all his glory! Every single girl, smiled at him as he walked by, every girl! I can't believe this! We haven't been here for two minutes and he already has a chance at love. I was going to have to be positive if I wanted to make it anywhere.

So far, all my classes have been easy. I understood everything, and everyone was really nice. It was two minutes before the bell would ring for the next period.

Lunch.

The period I dreaded most. Where would I sit? Who would it be with? What was the food like?

I saw everyone stand up around me, the bell had rung. I grabbed my stuff and walked to my locker first. It was close to the cafeteria, so I wasn't in a rush. People were pushing and shoving to get to the cafeteria. It was hectic, much more than in Tulsa. I would usually go and eat lunch with Two-Bit and Johnny at the DX; at least there it was nice and quiet, I also knew who to sit with.

With all my stuff in my locker, my books for my last few classes in hand, I walked towards the dreaded dungeon.

I walked into the cafeteria and stopped in my tracks. It was packed! I had no idea where to start. Thankfully, I saw Soda standing on the other side, with the same baffled look on his face.

"Pony!" he yelled. Everyone turned and stared at him. They must have thought he was insane; I mean a kid yelling "Pony!" randomly is a little weird.

My face turned red and I waved, letting everyone know I was the kid named Ponyboy. I love my name, but sometimes I like to tell people on my own, not have my brother scream it across a crowded room.

Soda ran up to me and grabbed my arm, "Found some people we can sit with. Really nice guys and some choice girls mixed in!"

Only Soda would find the best girls around. I shook my head and laughed. As I followed him to the table, I saw the people he was talking about. My mouth dropped. The guys had muscles bigger than Darry's and they all wore letterman jackets. The girls made the greaser girls back home look tame. They weren't dressed skimpy or anything, but they were, as Soda put it, "Choice". They seemed nice, but I wouldn't know for sure until I actually talked to them.

"Soda, hey glad you found us man! Thought we were going to have to send for a search and rescue," the biggest guy at the table said. His eyes were ice blue, like Dal's, but they weren't hard or mean. They actually looked calm, but intense at the same time.

"Yea, had to get my little bro first," he said, messing up my hair. I gave him a shove and fixed my hair. I hate when he does that.

"Hey, little bro, so you got a real name?" the kid asked smiling.

"Yea, the name's Ponyboy, but you can call me Pony," I replied holding my hand out.

"Nice to meet ya, Pony. I'm David and this is my elite team of football players!" he said, shaking my hand then pointing to his other friends.

"Hey, don't forget us girls. Without us you wouldn't have any inspiration!" a girl with blonde curly hair remarked. She turned to look at me, winked, and then patted the seat next to her.

"You can sit here Pony. My name is Susan, captain of the cheerleading squad," she said with a big smile. Her eyes were also blue, but darker. She wore her cheerleading uniform along with the other girls at the table. Was I really just about to sit with the popular kids at school?

I sat down next to her and placed my books on the table. Everyone settled down then, and some left to get their food. I was about to follow, but Soda stopped me.

"What do ya want Pone, I'll get it for you," he offered.

"Oh, okay, um whatever looks appetizing, I guess," I replied. Soda left and I was alone at the table with a couple of the guys who were talking about football, typical.

A was about to get up and find Soda when a girl around my age walked up to the table. She had dark brown hair and bright green eyes that complimented her baggy shirt and flared jeans.

"Hey boys, is my brother in line?" she asked quietly. She glanced at me, smiled then looked back at the guys.

"Yea, him and like the rest of the group. How've you been Sheila?" one of the guys asked.

She sat down on top of the table and crossed her legs, "Good, but this place is crawling with newbie's…" she glanced towards me.

I felt my face get hot and I looked down at my feet.

"Oh, hey there, you're new aren't you?" she asked as if she was surprised to see a "newbie" sitting there.

"Yea, my name's Ponyboy Curtis, my brother is Sodapop…" I answered quietly.

She sat there analyzing me; starting with my books on the table, to my torso, which I felt very uncomfortable with, then finally my face. I looked away, then back at her. She was still watching me. Why was she watching me?! I was about to say something, but she started talking.

"So, Pony… mind if I call you Pony?"

I nodded my head, and she continued on.

"So, Pony, what are you doing after school?"

I was taken aback by her question. She smiled a wide smile and sat down next to me.

"Um, well, I don't think I'm doing anything. Homework, if I have any, but other than that…"

"Great! You should hang out with me and my friends down by the beach. We'll teach you how to surf," she said, singing the last part.

"Okay, sounds…fun. Mind if my brother Soda comes along?"

"Are you talking about me, Pony?" Soda had come back with food. He set the tray down in front of me and nodded towards Sheila.

"Hey there, met my brother have ya? He isn't boring you with book talk is he?" he goofed.

"No, I was actually inviting him to the beach after school with me and a couple of friends wanna come?"

"Oh, actually I was going to hang with these guys, but if you want to Pony," Soda said smiling.

"Alright, it's a deal, you're hanging with me Ponyboy," she jumped off the table and walked away.

Just like that, I already had a social outing with some new friends.

**Johnny's POV:**

School went real well. Charles, who later told me I could call him CJ because his last name was Jenkins, kept his promise. People were already saying "hi" to me in the halls and asking me to hang out with them after school.

I was beginning to think that moving to a new place was one of the best ideas I've ever had. Well, it wasn't really my decision, but I'm glad I obliged.

I was sitting in my backyard that over looked the ocean. The waves rolled in and out, the seagulls sang their songs above, and I felt at peace. I am so glad school went well. I was curious as to how Pony was doing though. Did he have friends yet? What was his school like? Did he and Soda miss me?

"Johnny! How was your first day of school?" Robin asked sitting in my lap.

"It was good, I made new friends, even got invited to some of their houses tonight," I replied smiling.

"Why didn't you go?"

"Cause I wanted to spend time with my younger sister whose name I can't remember," I said jokingly.

"Hey! You know my name!" she exclaimed giggling.

"Oh, that's right, its Gladys isn't it?"

"No!"

"Bob?"

"No, that's a boy's name silly!" she stood up and stood over me.

"I have no clue…can you help me?" I said trying to sound confused.

"Robin!" she yelled jumping into my arms.

We rolled around laughing, and then we started chasing each other around the yard. I felt so good. No worries were flooding my mind. I was playing with my family. People who cared for me; people I can love back. Robin was the sweetest kid ever. She was really excited to have an older brother, and I was happy for a little sister.

"Robin, Johnny, dinners ready!" Shirley yelled from the house.

"Okay, we're coming!" I turned towards Robin and knelt down in front of her, "I'll race ya?"

"You're on!" she said, and she was off. I purposely ran slowly so she would win. She didn't let that one down for the rest of the night.

Later at 2 a.m.

The house was quiet and calm. Darkness engulfed the empty rooms; it was hard to see where I was going. My head hurt and I was shaking like a leaf. My eyes darted back and forth as I looked for a light switch… no luck.

I was about to open the front door when I felt a hand grab my shoulder and spin me around with so much force that I feel to the ground. I looked up to see a figure looming over me. My throat tightened up and my palms were getting sweaty. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as he reached down and grabbed my upper arm. Pain throbbed through my arm, but the force he appeared to have on me didn't look like it should hurt that bad.

"You're a lousy good for nothing son! I should've killed ya when I had the chance," he said looking me in the eye.

I screamed for help, but no one came. I screamed for Pony and Soda, but they didn't answer. No one answered.

His hand was coming down at me and I flinched away but…

I shot up in my bed, tears streaming down my face. My mouth was wide open as if I'd been screaming. The next thing I knew Kenneth came barging into my room, Shirley shortly behind.

"Johnny, are you okay?" Kenneth asked frantically.

I couldn't say anything. My throat was still tight and my mouth was really dry. Shirley walked over to my bed and sat down next to me.

"Is everything okay? Was it a dream?"

Yes. It was just a dream. So why did I get scared?

I nodded my head and whispered a response, "yea, just a dream…" but as soon as I opened my mouth, I lost it. I started crying uncontrollably and I clung onto Shirley like my life depended on it. I was actually scared; I couldn't understand why I was crying. I couldn't understand why I was shaking, and why I had that dream.

Shirley held me and rubbed her hand on my back to calm me down. It took me a while to compose myself, but when I finally did I found myself embarrassed.

"It's okay Johnny, no need to be embarrassed. It happens to a lot of people who have been through a difficult experience. You witnessed a scary event. You were sent to a juvenile center, and you lost your best friends. Then you had to move to a new state, school, and make new friends…"

That didn't help me, because I started crying again. She reminded me of everything I lost and why the dream occurred. I was holding it all in. I should've told someone about everything. Holding in all those emotions was not good for me. I couldn't handle it alone. I needed someone who understood, someone who went through it with me…

I needed Pony and Soda.

**So? Was that a quick enough update? Hope you enjoyed!!! If it seems to be moving slow…don't worry the fun starts soon!!!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Updating like the wind here! Enjoy! I have a lot on store for these guys!**

**Read and review please!!!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does!!**

**Pony's POV:**

After school I met up with Sheila in the parking lot. She was sitting on the curb swaying back and forth to unheard music. I thought about her all last period during health. Why was she dressed so, differently? Why did she seem like such a rebel compared to her social status brother? Then I figured it out, she was a hippie.

I actually found it interesting. There wasn't many hippies back in Tulsa, well none that I have ever seen. I liked her. Her revolutionary clothes, habits and attitude were only part of what I liked about her. She was also very pretty. I mean like cream of the crop pretty…her long dirty blonde hair that fell all around her face, her vivid green eyes that analyzed you, her soft skin that was tanned by the Californian sun. She was definitely something else.

I walked up to her with a smile on my face, "Hey, sorry I'm a little late," I said placing my backpack on the ground.

She looked me right in the eyes and gazed into them. Again I felt uncomfortable, but if I was going to be her friend I would have to get over it.

"No problem, I knew you would come," she said.

"So, where are we going again?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

"To the beach, it's about ten minutes from here. Too bad your brother couldn't come, he was something else," she said trailing off.

I looked at the ground. Of course Soda would be getting all the attention and not me.

"But, you aren't too bad yourself, Ponyboy Curtis," she whispered in my ear. She giggled when she saw my stunned expression, "Oh Ponyboy, you're really something else." She stood up and walked towards some more kids coming our way.

I was something else?

"Hey, Ponyboy, come here I want you to meet my friends!"

I stood up, wiped the back of my pants and walked toward the crowd of hippies. I felt very awkward. I looked nothing like them, and my hair was greased, not air blown.

"Ponyboy, this is Terry, Karen, Richie, and Joyce, and this is my group of rebels!"

Terry was a tough looking guy. He and Richie both wore bell bottoms and tanks. But Richie had on a deer skinned vest and his hair was straighter. He also had a kind look on his face. Richie was the one who took my hand and shook it. Terry's hair was frizzy and almost afro looking, but tamed. He just nodded his head when introduced.

The two girls Karen and Joyce were all smiles. Karen wore bell bottoms too, but she wore a peasant looking shirt and had a head band of yellow flowers that held her long brown hair to her head. Joyce wore a long skirt and tank. Her hair was long and very blonde. They both waved and said "hello" to me when introduced.

"Hey, guys," was all I could say. I could tell Terry was looking me up and down. I felt very awkward and out of place. Sheila saved me from the embarrassment.

"Come on guys, you'll get to know Ponyboy more once we get to the beach, and I don't just mean his personality," she said slyly. She smirked, winked, and grabbed my hand and led me to the direction of the street.

"What do ya mean, 'not just my personality'?"

She laughed out loud, tilting her head back and squeezing my hand, "Ponyboy, we're going to the beach. What do you wear to the beach?"

"Swimming trunks?" Then it hit me, "Oh you mean my body," I said before I could think about the situation.

"You have some, don't you?" she asked.

I shook my head. I did but they were at my aunt's house.

"Oh that's okay, I'm sure one of the guys has an extra pair. Or you could just go bare naked, nothing wrong with your natural self," she giggled.

"I'll pass; I'll go in my underwear if I have to."

"Suit yourself," she said shrugging. She ran forward and let out a small yell. She sounded like she was being released from captivity.

The others ran after, and Karen grabbed my hand to follow, "Come on Ponyboy, time to have some real fun!"

And boy did we have some real fun. They taught me surfing, how to make a headband made form flowers and material, and introduced me to some of their music. I had a blast and couldn't wait to tell Soda about them. They were free and happy. Terry even warmed up to me, and we were acting like old buddies by the end of the night.

Now that I had a new headband made from the hem of Joyce's skirt. She didn't mind, she almost seemed happy to give it to me. I didn't wear it when they took me back to the parking lot where Soda was waiting. Who knows what he'll think if he saw that on my head. I wouldn't hear the end of it!

Sheila was the one who offered to take me back to the school, because her brother would be the one taking her home. She held my hand as we walked on. I couldn't tell if it was out of friendliness or affection.

"Well, Ponyboy, I had a lot of fun with you this evening. We have to hang out again. There's a party down by the same beach this weekend, wanna come?"

"Sure, when is it?"

"Saturday, it starts at five-ish, but then again it doesn't really matter when you come, just as long as you do come," she replied.

We reached the parking lot and I could see Soda and a couple of the football players standing around Soda's truck. Sheila giggled and I gave her a sideways glance, she really liked to giggle.

"Football players, like my brother, are so…socially aware. Notice how they all stand the same. I can bet you they all have smiles on their faces and are thinking the same thing too," she said amazed.

"Yea," I trailed off thinking about Darry. How he used to play football, but he wasn't like these guys. He could care less about status; he did it for the scholarships and for the sport of it. I shook my head to clear it. I didn't want to think about that right now while holding a beautiful girl's hand.

"Hey Ponyboy, smile; It's a gorgeous night and you should take it all in!"

I looked at her and got butterflies in my stomach when I saw she was looking at me. I smiled and looked back at my brother. Before I knew it she had planted a kiss on my cheek.

"That's better Ponyboy," she said.

I was speechless. When I came to my senses we were already at the truck, our hands were no longer together.

"Hey Pone, how's it going?" Soda asked.

"Good," I said while turning to Sheila, "I'll see ya tomorrow Sheila," I said.

"Okay, Ponyboy, I'll be waiting," she responded. With that, she was off to her brother's car.

"Pony's got a girlfriend," Soda said in a sing song voice.

"Shut up, Soda."

"Pony's got a girlfriend," he said again, smiling.

"You're impossible," I said giving him a shove.

"I'm your brother," he replied, giving me a hug.

I hugged him back and we jumped into the truck and made our way home.

That Saturday, Soda was hanging out with the football guys. So I was alone with the hippies, again.

This time I remembered to bring swimming trunks, so I wouldn't look stupid in my underwear. Sheila brought her bathing suit too. She was already in it when I met her at the boardwalk. Her hair was glowing in the sun, and she had a smile on her face. She waved when she saw me approaching. I waved back and weaved through the crowd of people to get to her. She met me halfway and grabbed my hand.

"Hello, Ponyboy, so are you ready to party? I hope you brought swim shorts?" She squinted at my legs, noticing I had jeans on.

"Right here in my hand," I lifted them to show her.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get dressed!" she giggled and pushed me towards the showers.

"Alright, I'm going!"

I walked out of the changing rooms in nothing but my swimming trunks. I looked around but didn't see Sheila anywhere.

I started walking towards the beach when I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who?"

"Gee, I don't know…"

Whoever had their hands around me giggled, and even if I didn't know, that giggle gave it away.

"You need to learn how to control that laugh of yours, Sheila," I said taking her hands off my eyes. Again, she giggled and took my hand, leading me towards the party.

The sound of music could be heard over the talk of the people on the boardwalk and the screaming of little kids as the ocean slapped at their legs. It was the same kind of music that I was introduced to on Monday.

When we reached the beach I could see a crowd of people, all who looked like hippies, gathered at the far end of the beach. Some were dancing, others sitting around fires. Sheila let go of my hand and ran forward. She turned around and started running backwards.

"Come on Ponyboy, run!"

I followed her demand, and ran. It felt good to run again; to feel the wind in my hair and the adrenaline pumping through my legs. I kept running until I reached Sheila, but didn't stop. This time I was in front of her and she was the one catching up to me.

"Can't keep up?" I yelled back at her.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard Sheila's voice in my ear, "Slow down Ponyboy, I can keep up, but man you are fast!"

"I was a runner in Oklahoma, but I haven't been able to join yet. I think I'm a little too late," I said slowing down to a walk.

"Talk to my brother, I'm sure he can help. If you love running that much you should continue, but you definitely live up to your name, Ponyboy. You run like a wild mustang on the prairies of Oklahoma," she said with a giggle at the end.

I thought about what she said, and she was right. I mean I am from Oklahoma and my name has the word 'Pony' in it.

"I should give you a nickname," she said. Her face became serious as she was deep in thought of a nickname.

"How about…Spirit," she said.

I cocked an eyebrow and looked at her. "Spirit?"

"Yes, it's perfect! See horses have a free spirit; well wild ones do at least. What do you think?"

I couldn't say no, she was so sure that this was the perfect nickname for me. "Okay, Spirit Curtis it is," I said. I kinda liked the ring, but it would take a lot of getting used to.

**Later that night:**

We had run down the beach where we could be alone. Sheila was in a happy mood, and she really enjoyed using my new nickname, over and over again.

"So, Spirit, what shall we do now?" she grabbed my upper arm and hung on. She had had a few to drink, and possibly other stuff. She had left me for about fifteen minutes at one point and came back swaying to the music, off balance and off beat.

"What would you like to do?" I replied.

"Let's fly," she said. Fly?

"Fly?" I said out loud.

"Yes fly just you, me, and the stars above."

"Oh, that kind of 'fly'," I said nervously. She giggled at my response and started running forward. I chased after her. She stopped short and I ran into her. She let out a shriek and I caught her before we fell to the ground. But my weight was off balance, and so was hers, so we both fell to the ground anyway.

She was lying there laughing at the situation. But I was frozen, for my body was right on top of hers. I could feel her curves which formed to mine, our bodies fit together perfectly. Her laughing though got the best of me, and I started laughing. It was the perfect moment.

Once she had stopped laughing she gazed into my eyes, and I into hers. I couldn't take the silence; I'd rather have her laughter. So I reached my hand down and tickled her side. She jolted to the side away from my hand and started laughing again.

"Pony," she yelled. "Stop…it…" she said gasping for air between laughter.

"What happen to my nickname?" I teasingly said.

She was about to open her mouth and respond, but a voice could be heard above the crashing waves, calling my name.

"Ponyboy?"

**Johnny's POV:**

My hair was a mess and I couldn't find any clothes that looked good enough for a party.

This was a disaster.

My first chance at impressing a girl, and I'm going to do it looking like a true greaser. I wanted to change. I wanted to be different. I wanted to be a new Johnny Cade.

Valleri Jones and I met in the hallway between lunch and gym. It was by total accident.

I was walking to my locker when CJ called my name. I turned around to see what he wanted. He was halfway down the hallway so we had to pretty much yell our conversation.

"I'm gunna kick your butt in gym class today, Johnny!" he yelled.

I smiled and yelled back, "We'll see about that CJ! You wait and see; I'm a grease and always will be. I know how to fight!" I laughed at the face he made and went to turn around, but found myself flat on the ground. My books were strewn across the hall and I could hear CJ laughing his head off down the hall.

I sat up and rubbed my head. I had run into someone, but I didn't know who. I looked straight ahead and there was a girl kneeling, picking up her books.

"Oh, I'm going to be so late. Madame is going to kill me," she was saying to herself. She looked a mess, and while I sat there watching her she was bustling around. I reached out to grab the last book that was closest to me, and our hands touched. Cheesy? Yea I know, but her hand was so warm and soft.

"Hey, it's alright. We got like five minutes until the late bell rings," I said to her to try and calm her down.

"Oh I am so sorry. I was in a rush and was looking down at my paper, and I didn't see you coming and…"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, I'm fine." I said calmly. I was in such aw I couldn't say anything else. Usually people back in Tulsa that ran into me they didn't even apologize. I guess it's that whole "rule the school" deal that CJ proposed on my first day of school.

She stood up breathless and took the book from my hand. "Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry for running into you, Johnny."

She knew my name. The prettiest girl in this school knew my name!

After she said my name, I just kinda stood there. Then she did something I never thought a girl would genuinely do to me. She turned around, smiled and waved bye to me. I shyly lifted my hand and waved back.

I started noticing her in the halls and we'd wave at each other and smile. Sometimes if we were feeling goofy, we'd make faces at each other.

Then I got up the courage, well more like CJ made me get up the courage, I asked her to the party.

That was the toughest day of my life; asking a girl to a party, and not some lame party. A party where the coolest of the cool would be, the hippest music, the prettiest girls and toughest guys, and I, Johnny Cade, would be attending this "cool fest".

I was now sitting on my bed deciding whether to wear my old high tops or my new sandals. I couldn't picture myself wearing sandals, it was too weird looking. But this was a beach party, sandals would be best, and my high tops would be the thing that yelled "poor" and "loser".

I reached for the sandals and put them on. I walked around my room to get a feel for them. They weren't as bad as I thought. I heard the door open, but saw no one standing there. I went to walk around my bed but was caught by the ankles. I looked down to see Robin gripping them.

"Johnny, are you going to a big party tonight?" she asked with sad eyes.

"Yea I am, but don't worry, I'll be back and tomorrow I'll take you to the park or something. How's that sound?" I said while picking her up. I placed her on my bed and sat down next to her.

"Why can't I come with? I'll be good, promise!" she pleaded.

"I'm sure you would be good, but I haven't hung out with my friends in a while," I replied.

Just then I heard Shirley calling me from down stairs.

"Johnny, CJ's here!"

"Coming!" I yelled back. "Alright Robin, I gotta go, I'll make sure to have a dance for you."

I headed downstairs, checking out my hair one last time in the mirror.

"You look very handsome, Johnny. Just make sure you stay out of trouble," Shirley said.

"Oh I will, you don't have to worry about me!"

She patted my shoulder and walked away. I took this lull to head out the door. I saw CJ's car in the driveway, with Valleri in the passenger seat.

"Let's go party, Johnny!" CJ yelled, honking his horn.

"Alright, alright I'm comin'!" With that, we were off to the party.

**Later that night:**

My stomach was growling at me, begging for food. I turned to look at Valleri who was sitting next to me. She was starring at the campfire where people were roasting smores.

"Wanna get some?" I whispered to her. She jumped, and then smiled.

"Definitely," she whispered back.

I grabbed her hand and lead her towards the fire. We made some smores and chowed down. I was having a great time, I was dancing, talking to people I've never met and flirting with a girl. I would've never done these things if it weren't for CJ. I was becoming "popular" I guess you could say. Everyone knew my name and no one yelled "grease".

"Hey, I'll be right back," I said to Valleri.

"Where are you going?" she asked with a confused look.

"When you gotta go, you gotta go," I replied. She laughed and turned back to the fire.

I started walking down the beach to the changing rooms. As I walked up to the door I saw another party farther down the beach. The music was different and from what I could see, so was the clothing. I stood outside the door trying to see if I recognized anyone, but I couldn't make out their faces. I was about to head into the bathroom when I heard a shriek coming from the ocean nearby.

My heart started beating fast and I stood frozen. Was someone in trouble? I didn't wait, in case it was too late. So I ran towards the beach, the sand flying out from under my feet as I pounded the beach. When I came over the dune, I found myself in the most awkward position. I stood there frozen with embarrassment. There, lying on the beach, were two teens. One, the girl, was on her back laughing hysterically. The boy was on top of her, also laughing. What I thought was someone in trouble, was just two teens about to do God knows what.

Before they could spot me I turned around and started walking back to the bathrooms. I took no more than five steps when I heard the girl speak again.

"Pony," she said, then followed by "Stop…it"

I spun around and walked unsteadily back to the couple. I could feel my heart in my throat. The beating of it made it sore, or was it my ragged breathing that did that? My hands were sweating and my breathing got faster. No way could this be happening.

I stopped at the same spot as before. It was the same two teens lying on the beach, but this time I looked closer at the boy. I couldn't tell who it was because his face was looking down at the girl. I yelled his name, just to see if it was him.

"Ponyboy?"

**What did you think? Nice little cliffy huh? The nickname "Spirit" wasn't too cheesy was it? Haha I couldn't think of anything else!**

**Hope you liked it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Enjoy this chapter! Read and Review!**

He stood up staggering against the rolling waves. My heart pounded in my throat. The ache that I had been feeling; the suffering I went through, diminished. Ponyboy was standing in front of me. My best friend and all I wanted to do was jump with joy. But I couldn't.

_Maybe you should have stayed away from us._

That wasn't an order, it was a suggestion. So why did I feel so obliged to obey? I couldn't stay away from Pony. It hurt too much.

_Don't ever talk to me or Soda again…ever again._

He didn't mean it. Ponyboy always welcomed me to his home; he would never send me away. Would he? But he did. Ponyboy clearly didn't want me around then, so why would he want me back now?

"Never mind…I thought you were someone else. Sorry to bother you." What was I saying? Why am I running away from the one person who I can turn to?

"No wait, stop!" I heard running behind me, but I kept on walking away. He's just going to tell me off again.

"Johnny!"

I stopped, "Sorry you have the wrong person, I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Johnny Cade, don't be stupid. I know it's you. Why are you walking away?" he said breathless.

"Because you told me to leave you alone; and I'm not stupid," I stopped walking. Pony halted somewhere behind me. I kept my back turned.

"I…I'm sorry Johnny, I know you're not stupid, it's just, you're being childish. Please, come back," he was pleading with me. It had to be a trick. He just wants to yell at me some more. I turned around anyway.

"Ponyboy, I forgive you for what you said to me, and I'm sorry for what I said to you," I took a step towards him, but I was curious, "I just have one question, why didn't you look for me?"

He stood with his mouth opened in confusion.

"Johnny, I was upset. I told myself I wasn't going to think about you, because it hurt too much. The house, my house, was a mess. Soda and I couldn't handle it all, and I didn't need our petty fight to add to my problems. You understand, don't you?"

I watched him as he rambled off his disoriented answer.

"No, Ponyboy, I don't. Our fight wasn't 'petty' Ponyboy; I made a huge impact on my life. I thought about that fight, hell I even dreamed of it. It ruined my life!" I stopped to take a breath. Waiting for him to respond was agony. I could see the pain on his face and for some reason, I felt no remorse.

"It's funny how you make the fight sound like you were the victim in it all. It's not my fault you wouldn't listen to the truth," he retorted.

I gazed at him, "The truth?"

"Yes Johnny, the truth. The fact that it wasn't me who spread the rumor, that it was Rizzo who ruined our friendship. Johnny, why don't you believe me?"

Because I wanted to be right, once in my life.

I was wrong about my father and mother having even the slightest care in the world about me. I was wrong to hope for their love, wrong to want to love them back. I was always wrong, and I wanted to be right.

"I have to go. I have a party to get back to," I whispered.

I felt a hand wrap around my wrist, "Johnny, please talk to me. If we could just talk…"

"I gotta go. Bye, Ponyboy."

I yanked my wrist out of his hand and walked back to the party. I didn't feel cool anymore. I felt like a loser, like a greaser who has nothing to live for.

I felt like the old Johnny Cade again.

**Pony's POV:**

I watched him leave until I couldn't see him anymore. My hand still outstretched. I let it drop to my side. Was this friendship ever going to be mended?

And what is his problem? First he pretends that he had the wrong person when I could clearly see he knew who I was. Then he made it sound like the fight had a bigger impact on him than it did me! Well, I guess I made it sound like I put it behind me. Still, he knows me better than that. At least I thought he did.

"Ponyboy!" Hearing my name made me jump. I had forgotten about Sheila. "Pony, what was that about? Who was that?"

"It was an old friend of mine."

"Oh, why were you arguing?"

"Because there are some things that happen in life that change people, my friend and I happen to be two people who couldn't handle it as well as we thought we could," I said blankly.

Sheila placed her hand on my shoulder and turned me away from the spot Johnny was moments before.

"Does he not want to talk about it? Is he scared to?"

"I think he thinks that talking about it will make living harder. He's been though a lot, and a couple of recent events didn't help matters," I answered.

"Well, bottling it up doesn't help either," Sheila said, holding on to my arm tighter.

"I know, I want to talk to him about it, but I think he's too scared to confront it."

I heard Sheila sigh and she rested her head on my shoulder as we walked back towards the party. I didn't want to go back to the party now; at least I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Sheila must have been thinking the same thing. "Do you want to go home?" she asked softly.

"You don't mind, do you? It's just I won't able to enjoy it. I don't want to spoil the fun…"

"Pony, it's alright. I think I'm done here anyway. I'll walk home with you," she interjected.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive," she said smiling.

She took my hand and we walked away from the party. She walked me back all the way to my house. I was grateful for her silence. She was very understanding, and I was glad I had her.

We came up to my door. The porch light was on and a few lights in the house were shining dully from the windows. Aunt Nancy must still be awake.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow Ponyboy."

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow's Sunday," I said questioning.

"Yea, you go to church don't you?"

"Oh, yea, I guess I should start going again. At least this time the guys won't…"

Tears stung at my eyes. The guys would never be able to do anything again. Sheila could tell I was upset about what I almost said.

"Get some sleep Ponyboy. It's been a long night."

"'Kay, I'll see you tomorrow at church," I said. I turned towards the door, but before I could open it Sheila grabbed my arm and turned me around. She pulled me towards her body and we kissed. Her soft lips comforted my trembling ones. I held her closer. She held me tighter. Her grip loosened and she stepped away. I didn't want it to end. I wanted to hold her in my arms forever. Let her take away my sorrow and throw it away.

"Night Ponyboy," she whispered.

"Night," I whispered back. I watched her walk down the driveway. She vanished behind the hedges. I opened the door and closed it quietly. I leaned my forehead against the door and took a deep breath.

"Ponyboy, is that you?"

Aunt Nancy came around the corner. She was holding her reading glasses and a book. I hastily wiped away the tears that started rolling down my cheeks. When I thought they were covered I turned around.

"Hey, Aunt Nancy, um thanks for letting me go tonight," I said, my voice trailing off. Before I could stop them, the tears slid from my eyes, down my cheeks, and dripped off my chin. Aunt Nancy walked forward and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh Ponyboy, what's wrong hun?" she asked, rubbing her hand on my back.

Hugging her back I answered, "I saw Johnny tonight."

She was silent for a few moments. She let me cry on her shoulder; waiting until my breaths were steady and not ragged.

"Did something happen between you two?"

I nodded my head unable to say anything. The tears choked every word I tried to say. She understood my silence.

"Did you two fight?" I nodded again.

"Pony, dear, not everything happens the way we want it to. We all handle troubles and trials differently. Johnny might be handling the situation differently. You may be ready to talk, but you need to be the patient boy that I know you are," she said stroking my back. I was glad Aunt Nancy understood me. She saved me from having to speak.

"In the mean time, turning to people who surround you now is the best choice. I can see that you haven't limited yourself to just me and Sodapop. Who was the girl?" I leaned away from her startled by this question.

"Um, her name's Sheila. I met her at school. She's easy to talk to. She understands your problems and you don't even have to say a word. Kind of like what you just did," I answered.

"Well you have a well rounded circle of comfort don't you? Come into the kitchen, I'll make you some tea to calm you down."

I starred at her confused at what she meant, "Wait Aunt Nancy, what do you mean by a 'well rounded circle of comfort'?"

She continued to get the tea ready. Turning and smiling she answered, "You have my motherly comfort, Soda's brotherly comfort, and Sheila's, well, physical comfort."

I sat at the kitchen table blushing, "You saw us kiss?"

"Yes, she is a very lovely girl. Just watch how far you take that 'physical comfort'," she said slyly.

"I will, you don't have to worry about that," I said laughing.

That night I stood at my window starring out at the ocean. I wondered when I would see Johnny again. Would it be a joyous reunion? A sad reunion? Or would it be another fight like tonight?

Only time would tell, until then I was going to try my hardest to find a way to relieve my pain. No matter what it took I was going to do it. I didn't want to live with this aching feeling anymore.

I just hoped Johnny would find a way to relieve his pain too. I wanted my best friend back, more than I ever wanted anything else.

**Thanks for reading! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon!**

**Oh and the one sentence in here that use **"talking about it will make living harder" **I got it from the book/movie **_**Sleepers.**_


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back! Haha I'm gunna get right to it, here it goes…**

**P.S. I do not own the Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does!**

A couple months have passed since my run in with Pony. It's December now, and even though there's no snow, the atmosphere is thick with the Christmas spirit. I can't place my finger on it, but I have the feeling it's the Thomas' family overwhelming holiday spirit. The house has been decorated since the day after Thanksgiving. If I'm not mistaken, I can even hear carols echoing through the house, oh no, that's just Kenneth singing.

As I lay in my room, I think about the date that I have with Valleri tonight. Our relationship has blossomed. We haven't "done it", but for me it has grown, especially when one considers the heavy make out sessions. I still get nervous every time, but I love it because Valleri adores my shyness. I don't know why, but she laughs every time. Tonight I'm planning on being real romantic, ice skating at the indoor rink, hot chocolate afterwards, and a nice walk through the park. Cheesy, but she loves that kind of stuff, and I have to admit I do too.

Valleri may be able to distract me from previous events, but I still can't get rid of the night terrors. It's happening less and less now that I've found stuff to do with my spare time. It was the unexpected run in with Pony that caught me off guard. I want so bad to have our friendship back, but I just can't do it. It bothers me that I can't figure out why. Am I messed up in the head? Am I just so terrified by the murder of my friends that I lost control of reality? Surely not, right? I'm so confused and lost. The Thomas' have helped me out. They are big on Christianity and I have found that communicating with God helps a lot. Even though I pray night after night for guidance, I'm still stuck.

The loud honk of a horn outside brings me from my thoughts. I realize that I have been sitting in my room for over an hour, and there for I have made myself late. I race down the stairs and grab my jacket. After checking with Shirley, I head out to door and run down the street. Valleri lives a few streets over from me in a large white house. Right now her house is also decorated with blinding white lights and Poinsettias on the porch. When I reach her steps I fix my hair and straighten myself out before knocking. I hear footsteps on the other side of the door. The door opens and I'm greeted with the sweetest smile ever.

"Do I know you?" Valleri asks with a perplexed expression.

"Well, I sure hope ya do. See I've been planning this special event for this special someone for a long time. I was hoping that you would be that special someone," I replied, making sure that I had just the right amount of shyness. I must have too, because she grabbed my hand and pulled me in, planting a kiss that was full of passion.

"Whoa, take it easy there Val, the night has barely started!"

"Well then let's get a move on it! I can't wait to see what you have planned for me."

As she ran off to get her jacket, I waited patiently in her living room. The large couches and soft pillows were inviting and warm. They have a fireplace too, but it isn't lit. Her parents had gone out for some last minute Christmas shopping and a night to themselves. Valleri came bounding down the stairs. Her brown, curly hair bounced against her shoulders, while each step was light as a feather. She walked up to me, grabbed my hand, and without another word, we were off.

I had her close her eyes as we got closer to the rink. It probably wouldn't be that surprising, but it was worth a shot. When I took her hands away from her eyes she giggled with excitement and then she responded. Not in the way I was expecting though.

"Oh, Johnny, um this is nice, but…"

"But you don't like it? It's stupid right? We can go somewhere else if you…"

"Oh no, it's not stupid, it's just…" she turned to face me. Then she whispered, "I can't ice skate."

I stared at her for a few moments, looking into those green eyes. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

"That's what's wrong? Val, I can't skate to save my life. I was figuring you would know and then you could help me, but now that we both can't it only makes the date even better!" I said with a smile.

She looked up at me laughing, "Alright, but make sure there's a doctor nearby, cause we're gunna need it."

How right she was. We fell and slipped and ran into walls, but in the end we both got the hang of it. When we were finished skating, I realized I was going to regret it in the morning. My ankles were already starting to hurt. I'm sure Val's were too, but she didn't show it.

"So where to next?" she asked.

"Hot chocolate?"

"You bet!"

As we made our way to the café, I was silently thanking Mother Nature for turning the temperature down. Hot chocolate in warm weather doesn't really convey a romantic vibe. While we drank we talked mostly about the adorable stuff Valleri would do when she was younger. In between I would pray she wouldn't ask me, because mine wasn't as charming as hers was. But she and I have this unofficial vow that bringing up my past was, not prohibited, but it would be the worse conversation to have when you're trying to have fun. Sure I told her about the shenanigans the guys and I would get into. She simply loved those stories, but even then I was careful what to say. I didn't want to say something that might trigger an unhappy memory.

"Johnny, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" I was hesitant, ready to let her down easy if I didn't like the question.

"What happened to your face, I mean the scar, what happened?" she nervously rubbed the side of her cup.

"Oh…I…" I never told her about the Socs jumping greasers. It wasn't that pleasant of a conversation. For some reason, I wasn't timid about this question. I could tell that she was regretting asking me.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. Let's talk about something else."

I was almost ready to oblige, but I felt she needed to know.

"No, it's okay, um let's go for a walk in the park," I suggested. We finished our hot cocoa and headed outside. It was cooler with a slight breeze, nothing too chilling, but it was enough to make us button our coats up. I waited until we were in the tree covered section of the park trail. She patiently waited as I figured out how to tell her. She held my arm for reassurance, and then I started.

"Remember me telling you about the lot, the greaser hang out spot?" she nodded, "Well, we used to play football there all the time and one day we had lost the ball, and of course no one retrieved it cause we were too lazy at the time. Well a couple days later I was searching for it. I figured I could work on my throws and kicks," I paused to look at her. She was staring straight ahead attentively listening, so I continued. I told her how the Socs had come up from behind me, catching me off guard. How I called out for help, but was silenced by their blows. I mentioned how one of them had on rings, and it was those rings that had left the scar behind. I finished the story with how the gang all knew something was wrong and how they found me. I even went on to tell her it was part of why I became so jumpy.

She was quiet for some time after my story. My heart started to pound, had I scared her? I wasn't sure. Her grip on me was tight, so I figured she was astounded by the story. When she finally spoke, her voice cracked and it was just a tad bit louder than a whisper.

"You must really miss them, your friends I mean."

I stopped walking, surprised by her comment, "Uh, yeah, I do. They were a great group of guys," before I knew it, I was overcome by emotions. I just kept talking and explaining in detail, what they meant to me. I explained countless nights of terror in my house and how the Curtis' door was always open whenever I needed it, the cold nights sleeping in the lot, the random beatings the Socs gave us. Everything leading up to my arrival in California; I was amazed by the end that she hadn't run off, frightened by the stories.

"I'm glad you finally were able to open up to me. You finally make sense to me," she said with a nervous laugh.

"I didn't realize that I confused you before."

"There's just one thing that is still bothering me though. If you have shared so much with Ponyboy and Sodapop, why did you let something someone else said get in the way of your friendship? I mean you did eventually learn the truth didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did, but at the time I was so confused by everything that was going on I couldn't straighten it out. Trust me, I want nothing more than to fix what was broken, but it's hard."

"Promise me one thing Johnny," she took both of my hands in hers.

"What's that?"

"Find Ponyboy, and make up. Find him and be his best friend again."

I stared into her eyes. They were watery, whether it was from the chill in the air or her emotions, I couldn't be sure. I leaned in and kissed her, and when our lips departed I said, "I will, promise."

As I walked her up to her door, my heart sank. I realized that I didn't want this night to end. I could tell she shared the same thought.

"Wanna come in? We can watch a movie or something. It's only about what, seven?"

I smiled and replied, "That sounds like a great idea."

We sat down and watched _Gone With The Wind. _I'm not sure if this was such a great idea, because the first time I saw this it was with Pony. But her in my arms felt just right, and I didn't think of Pony at all. Not when her first husband died. Not when she had her baby. Not when my lips found Valleri's. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I wrapped mine around her waist. I pulled her in as she twisted her fingers into my hair. Next thing I knew I was placing her on her bed, and slowly undoing her blouse. I waited for her to stop me, but she didn't. She ran her hands up under my shirt and pulled it over my head. Her fingers found the button on my pants, and as she worked to undo them, her fingers sent chills up and down my spine with every touch. As I reached for her skirt, she pushed me over so that she was straddling me and lightly kissed my lips. I was confused by her light kissing. No more than two seconds ago she was pressing her lips against mine with a longing passion. She knew what she was about to do would send me over the edge. After her light kiss on the lips, she gently kissed my collarbone and my chest. But it was the quick kisses down the middle of my stomach that sent me soaring.

First, it tickled, but then my stomach clenched and I was overcome with the yearning to have her closer to me. I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me. She let out a gasp of surprise, but I muffled it with a kiss. I rolled over so she was beneath me. I gently tugged her skirt down while she tore off my pants. We were tangled for a second, but we kept our eyes locked on each other. I started to feel my face get red. I realized that all of our sudden fervor led to me being on top of her, both of us wearing nothing but our undergarments. I could feel every curve of her body against mine, her slender hips against mine and our hearts beating against each other's chest. Our breathing was rapid, but surprisingly in sync. We shivered at the same time during our lull, but the heat rose from her body so fast, it shocked my cold skin.

Neither of us spoke a word to each other as we gazed into each other's eyes. I slid my hands down her sides, giving her chills. She moved under me and within that swift movement I was sent into a hurricane of sensations. I kissed her shoulder as I filled every inch of her body with desire and love. She gasped with each movement and held me tighter if she didn't feel my body against hers. Her skin felt like smooth silk and with each touch it created an exhilarating high. I felt her body tense under me as she arched her back. Every hold she had on me relaxed, our bodies trembled together and I collapsed onto the bed next to her.

We lay side by side, not saying anything until we caught our breath. She rolled to her side placing her head on my chest and wrapped her arm around my waist. I stroked her hair and back while she traced an old scar on my side with her finger tips. I held on to this moment for as long as I could, reliving each moment over and over. Valleri fell asleep within minutes. I noticed the time, and not wanting to be caught in bed by her parents, I gently slid out from her grasp. I bent down to retrieve my clothes. I jumped and yelped when she grabbed my wrist. She pulled me towards her and kissed me.

"I love you, Johnny Cade," she whispered.

"I love you too, Valleri Jones," I whispered back.

She put on her nightgown and walked me to the door. We kissed one last time before I walked out into the darkness. I smiled all the way home. To have someone to love me with that much passion was something new to me. I wasn't confused by the emotions I felt. I was more amazed that I could feel all of them at one time, and it was all because of one night with one very special girl.

Valleri Jones would be part of my life forever, and nothing in the world would be able to alter my love for her.

**So? What did you think? Thanks for reading!**


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